Recently, I’ve decided to get back into cosplaying. When I was younger, it was a pretty big passion of mine and in the process, I taught myself to sew and fabricate accessories and props. I fell out of the con scene after a while, and with it, lost my drive to cosplay. But several months ago, I was gripped with a burst of inspiration and I decided to jump back into the game. I chose the Nightingale armor from Skyrim, just because it’s one of my favorite games and favorite outfits ever. (In retrospect, it may have been a bit ambitious for my first cosplay after several years of hiatus… :-_-: )

To go with this costume, I decided to order some new circle lenses. My main character in Skyrim is a Bosmer (wood elf) sneak thief, who has grey eyes. But I also thought purple eyes would be really striking considering most of my face will be hidden behind the mask, so I decided to get both to see which I preferred. I bought mine from Pinky Paradise. The ones I chose were the Vassen Lollipop Violet and the G&G Dueba (Barbie) Diamond Grey. Hit the jump to see everything!

Pinky Paradise always include a cute case for free with every circle lense order. These are normally cutie animal cases, but when I ordered mine, they were running a promotion where you could get their new macaron-styled cases instead if you asked in the notes. I think this is actually ongoing now. Of course, if you know me, you know how much I love macarons, so I opted for those. I received the Sky Blue macaron case, and the Green macaron case.

They’re super cute, but my only gripe is that they have no outer marking or way of telling which is the right or left. When you open it, the L and R are noted inside the lense cups, but on the outside, you can’t tell.

First, big big big warning and disclaimer:

Circle lenses should be cleared your optometrist or ophthalmologist before wear. Especially if you’re ordering “plano” or no prescription lenses, it is of the utmost importance you get properly fitted for contacts. It would be even better if you could bring the actual contacts with you for doctor approval.Remember, you’re sticking something in your eyes! You definitely do not want to do anything that could jeopardize your vision. In addition, you should not wear circle lenses too long — wear time will depend on how comfortable each lense is, but they are not like regular contacts, which generally have cushioning agents and better permeability so that your eyes feel comfortable longer. At the first sign of irritation, you should remove your circle lenses and give your eyes a rest (hence why I ordered the traveling case).

OK, seriousness over. Hopefully, we’re all responsible adults who aren’t so vain as to risk blindness! (Is that too optimistic?)
Moving on, let’s look at my lenses. For reference, here is my eye with a regular pair of contacts (i.e. no enlargement). I am wearing a very simple look with Sugarpill shadows: a smudge of Tako on the inner corner, Dollipop all over, and the teensiest bit of Poison Plum blended in the crease. I’m also wearing Jealousness 501 lashes.

If you’ve never bought a pair of circle lenses before, they usually come in these glass bottles with a plastic and metal cap. As my normal contacts come in a small peelable blister pack, I was really confused the first time I got this bottle. There is usually a small arrow or some other marking on the side of the lid. This is the point at which you can open the lid. It’s much like a “child-proof” cap on medicine bottles. Once you’ve opened it, the bottle cannot be reused and must be disposed of.

On to the violet lenses first~ I really wanted an intense, almost supernatural purple color, so after looking through the available options, I settled on the Vassen Lollipop Violet lenses — they were unique in that they were shot through with yellow/amber, so I thought that would contribute to the ethereal look.

Vassen Lollipop Violet

These look really great in person — they stand out very clearly, and the purple color is very pronounced. They were shot through with more yellow than I thought from the pictures. So, this is not a good option if you want a pure purple color, but it’s definitely visually very striking. They do make my eyes look HUGE, to an almost creepy extent.
Unfortunately, these are incredibly uncomfortable. They irritate my eyes and I can clearly feel them the entire time I’m wearing them. Through my testing, I’m unable to wear them for longer than around 15 minutes. I’m hoping I can power through it, as I definitely want to wear these with my costume, but I’m also hesitant to do anything to risk my eye health.

G&G Dueba Barbie Diamond Grey

These are amazing! They make my eyes look huge, sparkly and doll-like, but they’re also relatively subtle for their color and print (though not necessarily natural-looking). Best part is they’re super, super comfortable. I can’t feel them once they’re in, and I was able to wear them for over 6 hours before my eyes started to feel a bit irritated. I love love love these, and I am for sure going to get another color from this series.

I am wearing these in my FOTD from my “Get to Know Me!” post, if you’d like to see a full-face look.

Besides the lenses, I also purchased the Jitterbug contact lens cleaning system. This is an electronic cleaner which uses vibration to help clean your lenses. It came in a little velvet traveling case with the Jitterbug mascot embroidered on.

You have a choice of colors and animals for the contact lenses case, which has a rubberized magnetic bottom to affix to the base. I chose the pink pig for mine. :dance: You can press the left button for a short 16-second burst, or the right button for the longer 6-hour clean. It has a little suction cup so you can hang it up, something which I really appreciate with my limited counter space.
Since using this, I’ve noticed a difference in the comfort of my normal lenses. Even on the last day of the month, my lenses feel fresh and comfortable. Keep in mind, this won’t replace your normal cleaning routine, only supplement it.
The LED screen displays how much time is left in a cleaning cycle, but it can also be set to display how many days you have left for your contact lenses. As I switch mine out on the first of every month, I didn’t use this feature.

In addition, I got this Anna Sui-inspired travel case which comes with a contact lenses case, a small bottle for solution and rubber-tipped tweezers. I had my choice of traveling cases, but I am a huge fan of Anna Sui, and luckily for my wallet, there are a lot of Asian cosmetics which mimic her trademark butterfly and rose motifs. I also have a cotton pad holder from Daiso which is styled similarly. The tweezers are actually very helpful for fishing lenses out.

I brought this with me to Mecha-Con and at the first sign of irritation, I popped my lenses out and replaced them with my glasses. Can’t be too careful!

Pinky Paradise were also nice enough to include some free gifts. I received a My Beauty Diary Cherry Blossom sheet mask (love this one!), Deck out Women Crystal Eyelid Patch (like a sheet mask but for your undereyes), and a Dariya Hair Pad.
Here is a better picture of the eyelid patch. That’s not really a correct name, as it’s meant to go under your eyes and not on the eyelid. Instead of cloth or paper, like a sheet mask, these were made out of a cushion-y gel. They felt a bit like konjac jelly. I used these one day when my eyes were super puffy after sleeping in too late, and they worked wonderfully.

I was really surprised to receive such generous gifts, especially the Dariya hair pad as I already own a pair in black and use them literally every day. I also have a pair shaped like bows from Lioele, purchased from PrettyandCute.com, but they don’t work as well as the Dariya pad.

If you’re not familiar with these types of pads, they are basically the hooked side of a hook-and-loop closure, which is better known by its brand name, Velcro. They slide onto hair and keep it out of your face without squashing it or crimping your style (literally). I used to use bobby pins and hairbands to keep my hair out of my face while washing or applying makeup, but after finding these, I’ll never go back! They hold strongly, and slide straight out when I’m done.

I received free expedited shipping through a promotion, so it took just over a week for me to receive my package. I think this is reasonable, though normal shipping times can take two weeks or even up to a month. Such is the nature of international shipping, though. :nod:

Overall, I’m really happy with my order. I think given the comfort levels, I will end up wearing the G&G Dueba (Barbie) Diamond Grey lenses for my costume, but I’m hoping I can learn to tolerate the Vassen Lollipop Violet! They really look so cool especially with the dark hood and mask.

Which lenses do you like better? What are some of your favorite circle lenses?

I don’t wear contacts. I don’t think I could put them in my eyes without blinking. >.>;; But I adore how they look. The second pair you have here is gorgeous. Also, I love your eye make up. I’ve been meaning to get some Sugar Pill for ages, but I’m so cheap. Lol.